Taran Adarsh - 2.5/5
Post KYAA KOOL HAI HUM and APNA SAPNA MONEY MONEY, Sangeeth Sivan has got saddled with the image of making laughathons. Partly also because his non-comedies like CHURA LIYAA HAI TUMNE and EK - THE POWER OF ONE fell flat on their face. With CLICK, Sivan proves that he's at home in horror segment too.
The spirits are vindictive and in Bollywood, very predictable too, right? In fact, the spirits here are in their 20s, have dark, uncombed hair, wear white saris and have one expression from start to end. CLICK follows the same path, but is different too.
CLICK is heavily inspired by the Thai film SHUTTER [2004], which was made in the United States with the same name and which has also been attempted in Tamil and Telugu languages in India. Of course, you may draw parallels with RAAZ [Dino Morea, Bipasha Basu] too, but only one part of that film is similar to this one.
Although quite derivative, CLICK remains watchable for two reasons: The storyline is interesting [if you haven't watched any of the versions, of course] and the horror quotient is better than most horror films made in Bollywood. Also, the sound design is efficiently done.
Of course, there's a flipside too. The film could've done with better special effects, could've been shorter [it tends to get repetitive at times], could've been fast-paced and could've also done without songs.
Final words? Horror movie lovers shouldn't be disappointed!
CLICK is the story of a young photographer [Shreyas Talpade] and his girlfriend [Sadaa]. He takes beautiful pictures and yet when they're printed they hide a secret. A secret that is so dark and menacing that he hides it from his girlfriend. A secret from his past that if revealed, threatens to ruin not only his life but that of his friends and loved ones. What happens when the spirit comes back to haunt you?
For any film to stand on its feet, it should've a tight screenplay and should be equally captivating towards the finale. The culmination plays a crucial part here.
Sangeeth Sivan succeeds in keeping you engrossed for most parts, but he could've done with a few horror techniques to scare the audiences. The appearance of the hand or the movement of the spirit in the house could've been limited to one or two instances. Also, whose idea was it to give a chalky makeup to the spirit? Looks hideous!
The culmination to the story is interesting and it's an end I haven't seen in Bollywood before. Also, what's interesting is that the film doesn't feature the hero as squeaky clean. He's got a past and his end is justified too. The songs [Shamir Tandon] are strictly okay and the non-promotion of songs makes it worse. Cinematography [Ramji] is alright. The sound design [Parikshit Lalvani] is excellent. That goes for the background score too.
Shreyas pitches in a believable performance. Sadaa does well and manages to hold your attention. Sneha Ullal doesn't get very many lines to deliver, but she stays with you. Rehan Khan gets minimal scope. Chunky Pandey does well.
On the whole, CLICK should appeal to the youth, especially those who love horror films.
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1 comments:
Nikhat Kazmi - 2.5/5
She comes back from his past to haunt his present. But does she really create a scare, this crestfallen, sad little spirit who suddenly begins to peer at him from behind mirrors, under beds, inside closets and sobs tears of blood, wherever she goes? Not really. After a few initial jumps here and there in the beginning, you don't get the heebie-jeebies, simply because the director reveals too much, too fast. Also, the special effects are not quite state-of-the-art and images of the ghost walking upside down on the ceiling or clambering, head downwards, from a ladder, are actually cheesy. They don't chill your bones, as all horror films must do.
The story essentially focuses on a college romance gone awry and the aftermath that follows when spurned Sneha Ullal seeks her pound of flesh from Shreyas Talpade who refuses to get serious after a one-night stand. The chapter summarily ends on a bad note and is re-opened again in the picture-perfect present, when Shreyas has graduated into a hotshot photographer who lives with his model girlfriend, Sada. Driving home on a foggy night, the couple hit a mysterious girl and run. But there ain't no running away from a sordid past: that's the bitter truth that gradually dawns on the twosome who soon begin to find an intruder in their candle-lit dinners. Got to trek back to the past and ferret out unsavoury secrets....
The film works only in fits and starts. Shreyas does try hard to keep the momentum going, but the campy special effects leave a lot to be desired. Watch it for the twist in the tale in the end and some goosebumps in the beginning.
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